Virginia Tech, Virginia still can salvage seasons

Virginia Tech and Virginia opened their respective football seasons 2-0. Both routed cannon fodder and edged a perennial bowl program.

Since, the Hokies and Cavaliers are a combined 1-5, prompting clenched-jaw consternation among coaches, players and fans.

Saturday, in stadiums separated by about 10 miles, Tech and Virginia attempt to reverse course. Their challenges are considerable but hardly insurmountable.

Start with the Cavaliers, losers to Georgia Tech, Texas Christian and Louisiana Tech after conquests of Richmond and Penn State. They are porous on defense, turnover-prone on offense and underdogs at Duke, the latter perhaps the most jarring indictment.

Virginia is allowing 32.4 points per game, an historically bad pace. The last season in which the Cavaliers yielded more points was 1975, when opponents averaged 38.9, Virginia went 1-10 and Sonny Randle was fired as coach.

Moreover, the Cavaliers rank 116th nationally in turnover margin and are the ACC's most penalized team. Dating to last season, they've lost five of their last six games against Bowl Subdivision opponents, the lone victory courtesy of Penn State's four missed field goals.

So why even the remotest sense of optimism? Phillip Sims and the schedule.

Leg injury permitting, Sims is set to dislodge Michael Rocco as Virginia's starting quarterback. Given his 166-yard, two-touchdown relief effort in Saturday's 44-38 loss to Louisiana Tech, not to mention Rocco's eight interceptions this year, the change is needed.

Sims takes over with the Cavaliers approaching games against three of the ACC's weaker programs: Duke (4-1, 1-0), Maryland and Wake Forest, the latter two at home. Plus, thanks to the conference's rotating schedule, Virginia does not play either Florida State or Clemson this season.

Sweep the next three, and the Cavaliers (2-3, 0-1) are on the brink of bowl eligibility. Sweep the next three, and Sims is likely entrenched as the starter.

But losing the next three is equally imaginable considering the defense's shortcomings. Virginia has an ACC-low four sacks, and opponents are averaging 4.9 yards per rush — only Wake Forest's 5.1 is worse in the conference.

After opening wins over Georgia Tech and Austin Peay, the Hokies have sandwiched a shutout of Bowling Green with non-conference losses to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. The Panthers and Bearcats gouged Tech for a combined 1,032 yards, 675 via the pass.

Now there's no denying that the offense's staggered starts — the Hokies have scored a league-low 14 first-quarter points — have burdened the defense. But that does not excuse allowing 376 yards to a side-armed quarterback, Cincinnati's Munchie Legaux, who had never thrown for more than 217.

Still, in Monday remarks to reporters, Foster forcefully defended his guys, cornerback Antone Exum in particular. No doubt his rant played well in the locker room, but the facts remain: Cincinnati targeted Exum, and officials flagged him four times, twice each for pass interference and grabbing the facemask, and missed a third facemask.

Tech (3-2, 1-0 ACC) faces a better passer Saturday. North Carolina's Bryn Renner leads the ACC with 14 touchdown passes and has thrown for at least 271 yards in each of the Tar Heels' five games, albeit against suspect competition.

NCAA sanctions have rendered North Carolina (3-2, 0-1) ineligible for the ACC championship game, and an ongoing probe into academic fraud may bring further grief to the program. But that doesn't lessen the XL-importance of Saturday to the Hokies.

Win and they remain the Coastal Division's alpha dogs, Miami's 3-0 league start aside — the Hurricanes rank last in the ACC in total defense and scoring defense. But with games remaining against Clemson and Florida State, another setback Saturday could send Tech spiraling to six or more losses for the first time in 20 years.

Frank Beamer and his staff realize this, and Foster's comments, plus the evil-eye stare he had, are straight out of Coaching 101, baldly calculated to create an us-against-the-world, no-one-believes-in-us chip.

Beamer's many strengths include rallying his team from unexpected depths, most recently after the 2010 loss to James Madison. He redefines goals and fuels players' confidence.

"We know what we can do," quarterback Logan Thomas told reporters Tuesday. "We know we haven't played our best ball."

The Hokies, and their rival Cavaliers, had better start now.

David Teel can be reached at 757-247-4636 or by email at dteel@dailypress.com. For more from Teel, read his blog at dailypress.com/ teeltime and follow him at twitter.com/DavidTeelatDP